"Student Athlete"

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I have been in discussion with a few people regarding the topic of the student athlete. Clearly, a lot of student athletes struggle with academic ineligibility.

So my question becomes, should players at the collegiate level be allowed to "major" in the sport they are playing? With students being given degrees in theatre and other nonsensical crap, why should athletes not be allowed to major in the sport of their choice? Please discuss.

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Make requirements the same for all college students whether you play sports or not, and actually enforce it... Or go the other way and do something like what you suggest and make it where athletes aren't necessarily students.

The current system is a complete joke.

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Make requirements the same for all college students whether you play sports or not, and actually enforce it... Or go the other way and do something like what you suggest and make it where athletes aren't necessarily students.

The current system is a complete joke.

It certainly needs to be fixed. There is a definite problem.

Perhaps the schools could have the kids take classes in coaching, leadership, stadium management, etc... Just let them actually take classes that relate to their interests and can have a lasting impact on their careers. Not to mention, probably a bit easier.

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I agree, I mean if you can major in drama why cant you major in football? Hell, maybe more NFL/ NBA players could learn how to not blow through all their professional earnings if they had classes geared toward them in college

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I agree. Put in some classes on financial management and such to help them if they make the big time, and put in classes on coaching, management, marketing, and communications to help them if they fizzle out or blow out a knee.

Just makes too damn much sense.

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Here's an idea: let's have minor leagues for kids that want to play pro football or basketball and don't give a crap about school. Then let's let kids who want to play in college play in college, but enforce real standards and make them actually go to class. This is how baseball works, you can get to MLB either by going to the minors straight out of high school or by playing in college. I don't think we need to lower standards for athletes, give them special majors or pay them. If they want to be college athletes they should be college students, period. There should be another option for those who aren't interested in college.

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Also, only a tiny fraction of players actually go pro, even from the power programs. So the guy who majors in football and doesnt get drafted is seriously gonna be up s*** creek. Not that he wouldn't be anyway if he doesn't study, but not sure we should create a major just for the one percent of players who actually go pro.

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Okay, but does this apply to every athlete on campus with an athletic scholarship? Like those on the swim team, volleyball team, lacrosse, track and field, women's basketball? Or, are you going to treat the basketball and football players differently because those are the major sports and those athletes seem to be the ones just going through the motions of attending classes?

For example, a track runner probably attends his classes and probably has a real student workload and likely carries a "real" major that will allow him to find a job after school- while the football player has a pie schedule, takes a minimum of classes that mean nothing, etc., does the football player get preferential treatment?

Stop altogether with the notion that most of the B-ball and football players are students- they're not so let's stop with the ostrich syndrome, pull your head out of the sand and understand they are there to make money for the school as football and basketball players. They are employees of the school, should be paid as employees and let real students sit in those classroom seats now occupied by the athletes.

They work on a minimum 2-year, non-guaranteed contract and when their playing days are finished, they have the option to return to that school and get a degree if they find out they will not or cannot make it in the professional field of endeavor they chose (NFL or NBA), at no cost. A governing body sets a pay scale so every D1 QB makes the same amount of money, for example. Or, every player, regardless of position makes the same money. And we're not talking serious bucks, we're talking the difference between Triple A and the majors kind of pay.

We need to stop judging schools and athletes by transcripts, classes taken or not, etc. It's a hypocritical joke, although I find it hilarious Mr. Potato Head is likely more intelligent than Julius Peppers, to even begin discussing "academic eligibility."

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Stop altogether with the notion that most of the B-ball and football players are students- they're not so let's stop with the ostrich syndrome, pull your head out of the sand and understand they are there to make money for the school as football and basketball players. They are employees of the school, should be paid as employees and let real students sit in those classroom seats now occupied by the athletes.

A majority of athletic departments don't make a profit. Even within FBS, only about half of all athletic departments make a profit, the rest operate at a loss. So the idea that football and basketball exist for the purpose of making money for the school is wrong. College football and basketball existed long before the big TV contracts and BCS bowls. College football and basketball still exist, at many schools, as an athletic competition between real students from the competing institutions. Some kids don't want to be college students, they just want to be pro athletes. That's fine, that's why I think we should have minor leagues. But the idea that we should create professional teams loosely connected to the university inested of amateur teams made up of student athletes is absurd to me.